ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine, Dec 24 (Reuters) – For Oleh Kolesnikov, espionage is in his blood. The 52-year-old former state land manager from Zaporizhzhia grew up surrounded by Soviet influences. His father was a Soviet intelligence agent, stationed in Cuba during the Cold War, posing as a translator. His cousin works with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). It was perhaps inevitable that Kolesnikov, with his family’s ties to intelligence, would become embroiled in wartime espionage.
In 2022, Kolesnikov agreed to supply Russia with crucial information about Ukrainian military sites, troop movements, and missile impacts in his hometown of Zaporizhzhia. He did so not for money, he says, but because he supported the “Russian World,” an ideology promoted by President Vladimir Putin that highlights Moscow’s historical and cultural connections with neighboring nations.
“I didn’t do this for money,” Kolesnikov insisted, reflecting on the path that led him to treason. However, he expressed deep regret over the consequences of his actions. The Russian missile strikes he reported on, he claims, were often inaccurate, leading to civilian casualties. “I thought they (the Russians) would advance rapidly,” he said. “It turned out like it always does. They plan one thing and another thing happens entirely.”
As the war dragged on far longer than he had anticipated, Kolesnikov’s disillusionment grew. His marriage fell apart after his arrest for treason. His wife left him, taking their 11-year-old child with her.
In April 2023, Kolesnikov spoke to Reuters in a police facility in Zaporizhzhia, in the presence of an officer from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). Five months later, he was sentenced to life in prison for treason. His case is part of a broader wave of over 3,200 state treason investigations launched by Ukrainian authorities since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
A divided loyalty
Kolesnikov is not alone in his actions. Many others in Ukraine have been recruited or coerced into espionage by Russian agents, particularly those with family ties to Russia or pro-Russian views. In interviews with several informants convicted by Ukraine, and two SBU officers, it became clear that the country’s historical ties to Russia have created a fertile ground for division and espionage. This is especially true for those from older generations who grew up as part of the Soviet Union before its collapse in 1991.
Vasyl Maliuk, head of the SBU, told Reuters that counter-espionage work is vital to Ukraine’s war effort. He confirmed that Russian agents have been infiltrating the country for decades, building networks and recruiting assets. “Our systematic approach is yielding results,” Maliuk said, adding that the SBU had purged enemy agents from all areas of Ukrainian life.
The threat of Russian spies remains a significant challenge for Ukraine, but the SBU has also had its successes. In one notable case, Ukrainian agents were responsible for a bomb blast in Moscow in December 2023, which killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops.
The recruitment of kolesnikov
Kolesnikov’s involvement with the Russians began in September 2022, when he provided information on a scheduled meeting of local officials at the Sunrise Hotel in Zaporizhzhia. A Russian missile struck the hotel the following day, killing one civilian and injuring five others. Kolesnikov, however, claimed he only helped verify the aftermath of the strike, not the targeting itself.
The SBU had been tracking Kolesnikov for months before his arrest. In March 2023, witnesses saw his car near the site of a Russian missile attack on an apartment block in Zaporizhzhia, which killed several civilians. SBU agents traced Kolesnikov’s phone to numerous missile impact sites. The final breakthrough came when agents planted a bug in his car and overheard him discussing plans with Vitaly Kusakin, a friend he had recruited to assist in gathering intelligence.
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Kolesnikov was arrested at his home on May 5, 2023. He later pleaded partially guilty to the charges, stating that he had not known his cousin was an FSB agent when he started providing information to the Russians.
A bleak future
Kolesnikov was sentenced to life imprisonment for aiding the enemy in subversive activities. His associate, Kusakin, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. As the war continues, Kolesnikov’s future remains uncertain. His only hope now is that he might one day be part of a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia.
The broader context of espionage in Ukraine reflects the ongoing challenge the country faces in rooting out Russian agents who have been operating in the region for decades. The war in Ukraine has amplified these risks, as both sides engage in complex intelligence operations to secure strategic advantages.
The ongoing conflict, combined with the growing prevalence of online recruitment methods by Russian agents, makes it clear that the battle for intelligence will be as crucial as the battle on the front lines. The case of Oleh Kolesnikov serves as a stark reminder of the deep divisions that persist in post-Soviet Ukraine and the dangers of espionage that continue to haunt the region.
